Gubernatorial Candidate Says Tax Cut Won't Work

Cutting Pennsylvania's corporate income tax won't help the state's economy, Dwight Evans said yesterday as he toured Latino service centers in Allentown and Bethlehem.

Evans is one of six candidates seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the May 10 primary.

Some candidates have argued that Pennsylvania's corporate business tax needs to be reduced to create jobs and attract businesses to the state. The 12-1/4-percent tax ranks as one of the highest in the nation. Plans have called for the tax to be reduced to 9.9 percent or lower over three years, which would cost the state $301.9 million in revenue a year.

Evans said cutting the corporate income tax would reduce funding for community needs. Cuts won't attract more business to the state but will reduce the amount of money available for services.

It's a continuation of the 1980s' fiscal policy of trying to cut taxes and raising services. Both can't be done, he said.

Evans has served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee for the past three years and guides the state budget through the Legislature.

Cutting the corporate tax won't educate children or fight crime, he said.

"All it will do is make those who have it all richer." And services will be cut where people are most vulnerable -- women, children and senior citizens. The state has enough money, it just has to be spent more wisely, he said.

Evans said the state can attract businesses by targeting businesses and making sure that Pennsylvania has an available work force.

"But all of this can't be addressed unless we're willing to make an investment in people," he said.

The Lehigh Valley leg of Evans' trip took him to the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations, Bethlehem, and Casa Guadalupe and the Hispanic American Organization, both in Allentown. He was also scheduled to visit Latino centers in Reading and York.

"This tour is to show we (government) need to meet concerns of the community," Evans said.

He toured all three organizations, listened, asked questions about how they operate and spoke to students and program participants.

"I'm a strong believer in community organizations. I believe you can solve problems from the bottom up, not the top down," he said.

The three organization Evans visited earlier had issued a statement that his visit was not an endorsement of his gubernatorial candidacy.

However, he does have the endorsement of Latinos For A New Lehigh Valley.

"Dwight has been very responsive to the Latino community, and he has a history of supporting programs that address ethnic harmony and respect," the group said in a statement.

The 3-year-old multicultural group has 55 members and supports conditions that foster a respect of the Latino community, said President Jose Maldonado.

The organization is a registered political action committee in Pennsylvania, he said.